The rival Oregon Senate campaigns argued Wednesday over the importance of this week's U.S. Supreme Court decision that allowed two companies, on religious grounds, to limit the scope of contraceptive coverage they provide to employees.

Republican candidate Monica Wehby told reporters at an Oregon City event that she thought the decision was "very limited in scope" because it involved a narrow range of contraceptive products and a relatively small group of closely held companies.

The re-election campaign of Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., held a conference call with reporters to argue that the decision could threaten contraceptive coverage for millions of women -- although participants on the call did acknowledge that Oregon law requiring contraceptive coverage could limit the scope of the Supreme Court decision here.

Women's rights activists who participated in the Merkley call also charged that Wehby would vote to confirm the conservative Supreme Court justices that support carving out broader religious exemptions for businesses.

The campaign sparring over the Hobby Lobby decision -- named for a chain of family-owned craft stores that disputed parts of the contraception mandate in the federal health care law -- came as the two candidates showed their divergent aims when it comes to social issues.

Wehby, who has said she supports abortion rights, has sought to play down social issues, which Democrats have long used as a powerful political tool in Oregon. At the same time, by supporting the Hobby Lobby decision, she pleases conservative voters that she needs to keep in her camp.

Merkley has been trying to raise the visibility of the issue, both to portray Wehby as out of step with mainstream voters and to boost turnout among Democratic-leaning voters.

The full scope of the ruling may not be known soon. Justices on both sides of the case argued over just how broad of a religious exemption could be claimed by businesses. And the Obama administration has already moved to provide contraceptive coverage for women who can't get it through religiously oriented nonprofit employers -- and that could potentially cover some workers affected by this ruling.

Wehby, after meeting with veterans to talk about health care, said Merkley was using "fear tactics" by trying to scare women that they could lose contraceptive coverage.

"The Hobby Lobby [decision] only limited morning-after pills and some IUDs," said Wehby, referring to products that the Hobby Lobby owners believe could essentially cause an abortion by working after conception.

Wehby, a Portland pediatric neurosurgeon, said the decision doesn't affect coverage of birth-control pills and said that women could also get coverage "through third-party providers."

She also said the ruling covered only a "very limited group of businesses" controlled by a small number of owners. "This was very limited in scope and doesn't limit basic birth control," she said.

Wehby went on to say she supported the decision "as long as women have access to contraception through a third party, then I think we have to respect everyone's beliefs as much as possible."

Michelle Stranger Hunter, executive director of Naral Pro-Choice Oregon, said the decision opened the door for employers to seek a broader religious exemption for contraceptive coverage.

"The ruling affects employers in these closely held corporations. They get to say, 'We will not fund birth control,'" she said, adding, "This is another example of Monica showing how she doesn't quite get it."

State Senate Majority Leader Diane Rosenbaum, D-Portland, said on the conference call that she was also concerned that Wehby would vote to confirm justices like Antonin Scalia and Samuel Alito "who have clearly stated that they are prepared to overturn decisions like Roe vs. Wade" on abortion and expand religious exemptions regarding reproductive health care.